More carmakers caught in headlights of VW engine-rigging scandal

More carmakers caught in headlights of VW engine-rigging scandal
Volkswagen has admitted it installed illegal software into 11 million 2.0 liter and 3.0 liter diesel engines worldwide (AFP Photo/Josh Edelson)

Volkswagen emissions scandal

Iran's 'catastrophic mistake': Speculation, pressure, then admission

Iran's 'catastrophic mistake': Speculation, pressure, then admission
Analsyts say it is irresponsible to link the crash of a Ukraine International Airline Boeing 737-800 to the 737 MAX accidents (AFP Photo/INA FASSBENDER)

Missing MH370 likely to have disintegrated mid-flight: experts

Missing MH370 likely to have disintegrated mid-flight: experts
A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 commercial jet.

QZ8501 (AirAsia)

Leaders see horror of French Alps crash as probe gathers pace

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

… The Shift in Human Nature

You're starting to see integrity change. Awareness recalibrates integrity, and the Human Being who would sit there and take advantage of another Human Being in an old energy would never do it in a new energy. The reason? It will become intuitive, so this is a shift in Human Nature as well, for in the past you have assumed that people take advantage of people first and integrity comes later. That's just ordinary Human nature.

In the past, Human nature expressed within governments worked like this: If you were stronger than the other one, you simply conquered them. If you were strong, it was an invitation to conquer. If you were weak, it was an invitation to be conquered. No one even thought about it. It was the way of things. The bigger you could have your armies, the better they would do when you sent them out to conquer. That's not how you think today. Did you notice?

Any country that thinks this way today will not survive, for humanity has discovered that the world goes far better by putting things together instead of tearing them apart. The new energy puts the weak and strong together in ways that make sense and that have integrity. Take a look at what happened to some of the businesses in this great land (USA). Up to 30 years ago, when you started realizing some of them didn't have integrity, you eliminated them. What happened to the tobacco companies when you realized they were knowingly addicting your children? Today, they still sell their products to less-aware countries, but that will also change.

What did you do a few years ago when you realized that your bankers were actually selling you homes that they knew you couldn't pay for later? They were walking away, smiling greedily, not thinking about the heartbreak that was to follow when a life's dream would be lost. Dear American, you are in a recession. However, this is like when you prune a tree and cut back the branches. When the tree grows back, you've got control and the branches will grow bigger and stronger than they were before, without the greed factor. Then, if you don't like the way it grows back, you'll prune it again! I tell you this because awareness is now in control of big money. It's right before your eyes, what you're doing. But fear often rules. …

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Airport body scanners raise alarm bells with German police

Deutsche Welle, 30 July 2011

Body scanners are already in use
in several EU countries
Police in Germany have rejected body scanners at Hamburg airport for being too sensitive. The scanners were found to have set off an alarm in seven out of 10 cases after they were confused by clothing and even postures.

Body scanners at Hamburg airport have failed trial tests, police said, frequently triggering alarms even when they weren't supposed to.

The scanners, which have been an a ten-month at Hamburg airport, triggered an unnecessary alarm in seven out of ten cases, the German weekly newspaper Welt am Sonntag reported on Saturday.

They were said to have been confused by layers of clothing, boots, zip fasteners and even pleats. In 10 percent of cases the passenger's posture set them off.

According to a police report, the scanners set off alarms more than once in 35 percent of 730,000 cases where they should not have.

The scanners have been rejected by federal police until the software is improved and more effective models are made available.

Several EU countries, including Britain, France, the Netherlands, Italy and Finland, as well as Germany, have conducted body scanner tests after the machines were approved for use by the European parliament on July 6 on the condition that passengers could refuse to walk through them and go through traditional security checks instead.

Naked scanners

Body scanners are controversial, particularly in the United States where people expressed outrage at the thought of their producing a graphic image of the body. The devices were often dubbed "naked" scanners.

In spite of the public wariness, the US stepped up their use after a Nigerian man was caught trying to ignite explosives concealed in his underwear during a Christmas day flight from Amsterdam to Detroit in 2009.

The US soon encouraged the EU to introduce the scanners, but it was decided that their impact on health and privacy would first have to be tested.

Author: Charlotte Chelsom-Pill (AFP, dpa)
Editor: Kyle James  

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Nissan to invest $320 mn in Indonesia plant

Yahoo/AFP, 26 July 2011

Japanese Nissan Motor said Tuesday it plans to invest $320 million in Indonesia to more than treble production capacity at its West Java factory and set up a new engine assembly plant nearby.

"We plan to increase production capacity at the plant from 50,000 vehicles per year to 180,000 vehicles for each year by 2013," Nissan Motor Indonesia vice president of sales and promotion Teddy Irawan said.

"This September we'll complete the first phase of the capacity expansion to increase production from 50,000 units to 100,000 units. In the next phase, we'll raise capacity from 100,000 units to 180,000 units," Irawan said.

Indonesia, Southeast Asia's largest economy, is seeking billions of dollars in foreign investment to help it achieve target of 7.0-percent growth by 2014.

The archipelago aims to attract private investment of up to $465 billion by 2025.

Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport to Get $1.37b Face-Lift

Jakarta Globe, July 26, 2011

Mobile Brigade (Brimob) officers conducting search operations in an
 attempt to clean up Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on the outskirts of
 Jakarta recently. The substandard airport is to get a Rp 11.7 trillion
($1.37 billion) overhaul, the Ministry of Transportation said on Tuesday.
(JG Photo/F. Raharjo)  
    
Related articles

Jakarta’s substandard Soekarno-Hatta International Airport is to get a Rp 11.7 trillion ($1.37 billion) overhaul, the Ministry of Transportation said on Tuesday.

Herry Bhakti Gumay, director general of aviation transportation at ministry, was quoted by Detik.com as saying the revamp would be entirely funded by State-owned airport operator Angkasa Pura II.

“Construction will start in 2012 and in 2014, Soekarno-Hatta will become a world-class airport,” Herry told the news portal.

Changes included completing development of Terminal 3 by 2013, renovating terminals one and two, building a new cargo terminal by 2013.

Other improvements include an automated transportation system linking the terminals as well as a shopping mall and a hotel.

Herry acknowledged that Soekarno-Hatta was now incapable of coping with the number of passengers, which continue to grow.

“Currently the airport’s capacity is designed for 22 million passengers [annually] but in reality, the number of passengers has grown to 44 million,” Herry said.

The plan to redevelop the airport was first announced by Vice President Boediono in May.

Vice Presidential Spokesman Boediono’s said it was hoped that the number of passengers would increase to 62 million people by 2014.

“That will mean increasing the apron capacity from the current 125 aircraft to 174 aircraft.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Chrysler Unveils $100m Indonesia Plan

Jakarta Globe, Faisal Maliki Baskoro, July 22, 2011

Related articles

US automotive giant Chrysler is planning to spend $100 million in the next three years to expand its business in Indonesia, capitalizing on the fast-growing demand for premium cars, a company executive said on Friday.

The Detroit-based Chrysler will use the funds to open 18 dealerships across the country, said Ferial Fahmi, president director of Garansindo Inter Global, the sole licensed distributor of Chrysler cars in Indonesia.

“Since 2009, we have spent $10 million to open five dealerships across Jakarta, Surabaya, and Bali. We want to have 23 dealerships across Indonesia in the next three years,” he said .

Chrysler may also be looking to open a factory in Indonesia, he said, but did not elaborate.

Speaking on the sideline of the 19th Indonesian International Motor Show, Ferial said the expansion was aimed at boosting Chrysler’s market share in the premium segment in Indonesia. “We’re hoping we can become one of the top two brands in the premium segment,” he said.

In Indonesia, Chrysler plans to sell brands including the Chrysler 300C, Cabriolet Sebring, the Dodge Journey and Jeep models Wrangler Sahara, Wrangler Rubicon and Patriot. The brands are all completely built-up units.

According to the Indonesia Car Industry Association (Gaikindo), an estimated 5,000 premium cars were sold last year. The segment is currently dominated by European car makers, including BMW and Mercedes Benz.

Ferial said that Garansindo Inter Global was on track to reach its sales target of 700 units this year.

Meanwhile, Panggah Susanto, director general for manufacturing industry at the Industry Ministry, said Chrysler was considering opening a factory in Southeast Asia.

“Meeting with Peter MacKenzie [Chrysler’s Southeast Asia regional manager] on Thursday, he said the company was looking to build a manufacturing base in Southeast Asia,” Panggah said. “Indonesia is one of the countries they are eyeing.” No further details were provided on the development of a manufacturing plant.

Industry analysts welcomed plans by Chrysler and other global automotive producers to consider setting up manufacturing plants in Indonesia as a show of confidence in the automotive industry in the country. Car makers ranging from Indian low-cost manufacturer Tata Motors to premium brand BMW have stated an interest in expanding their business here.

It was revealed on Thursday that Tata had launched a feasibility study into the notion of opening a factory to produce its Nano model in Indonesia.

Astra Daihatsu Motor, the sole distributor of products from Japanese firm Daihatsu, has announced a Rp 2.1 trillion ($246 million) investment plan to build an 80-hectare factory in Karawang, West Java, to raise annual output to 430,000 units.

The BMW group has announced it would be spending Rp 100 billion to double its capacity, while Suzuki has announced an $800 million expansion over the next two years.

As many as 32 authorized sole license holders and 227 automotive-related industries are participating in the motor show at Jakarta International Expo in Kemayoran.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

AirAsia to Move Base to Jakarta

Jakarta Globe, A. Lin Neumann | July 22, 2011


Tony Fernandes, Group CEO of AirAsia speaks during a joint company
 press conference with AirAsia in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday. AirAsia has
 chosen Jakarta to be its regional headquarters in an effort to be seen as a
Southeast Asian airline rather than just a Malaysian one.
(EPA Photo/Everett Kennedy Brown) 
 
       
Related articles

Tokyo. AirAsia has chosen Jakarta to be its regional headquarters in an effort to be seen as a Southeast Asian airline rather than just a Malaysian one.

The region’s largest low-cost airline plans to open its base in the capital at South Jakarta’s Equity Building in October, group chief executive Tony Fernandes told the Jakarta Globe on Thursday. 

It plans to take advantage of easy access to the Asean secretariat in advance of the “open skies” agreement that will go into effect in 2015.

That agreement will lower barriers for air travel between the region’s capitals.

Asked why he chose to move the fast-growing airline’s principal corporate base to Jakarta from Kuala Lumpur, Fernandes said: “Asean is based in Jakarta, and Indonesia will be the largest economy in Asean in times to come … And I like it there.”

Fernandes, who is Malaysian, said he had already bought a home in Jakarta within walking distance of the new office. “I don’t like the Jakarta traffic,” he said.

The Equity Building is in the Sudirman Central Business District, near the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX). According to aviation experts, AirAsia’s relocation to Jakarta highlights the country’s growing importance in the region’s aviation sector.

“This will be great for our aviation industry,” said Dudi Sudibyo, an aviation industry analyst in Jakarta. “This will push us to be better.”

To match AirAsia’s ambitious strategy, the Indonesian government will have to continue to improve infrastructure to accommodate more passengers flying into and around the country, said Bambang Ervan, a Transportation Ministry spokesman.

“This is very positive, we welcome AirAsia’s plan,” he said. “It shows that AirAsia, one of the world leaders in the aviation industry, has confidence in Indonesia’s strong growth.”

The Indonesia National Air Carriers Association (Inaca) forecasts passenger growth at 10 percent to 15 percent this year.

Central Statistics Agency (BPS) data showed that air traffic in Indonesia grew 22 percent to 53.4 million passengers in 2010 on the back of demand from the middle class for domestic flights. 

That is higher than the 9 percent average increase recorded by Asia-Pacific carriers, according to data from the International Air Transport Association.

“Indonesia is among very few countries that managed to record strong growth in air traffic last year,” Bambang said. “The lack of available airlines compared to population and geographic conditions is only a sign that there’s a lot of opportunity here.”

Fernandes was in Tokyo for the announcement of AirAsia Japan, a new joint venture with Japan’s largest carrier, the ANA Group, to launch Japan’s second budget airline next year.

He confirmed his airline’s recent order for 300 Airbus A320neos. The deal, originally for 200 planes, was increased with an option for 100 more. It was the largest single aircraft order until Wednesday, when American Airlines ordered 460 Airbus and Boeing aircraft in a $38 billion deal.

Fernandes played down concerns raised by some analysts about the possible debt implications of such a deal, saying the company was cash rich, with a turnover of more than $4 billion last year, and operated as a group with a profit margin of about 20 percent.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Lufthansa begins flights with biofuels

Deutsche Welle, 16 July 2011

Lufthansa's modified A321 looks like a
regular jet but runs in part on biofuel
For half a year, Lufthansa will be testing a flight between Hamburg and Frankfurt. The plane will use a blend of biofuel and regular kerosene – but not in both engines. Green groups are criticizing the fuel source.

With the world's population growing and becoming increasingly wealthy, reliance on air travel has become of a fixture of life for many. But as passenger counts grow, airlines are needing ever-more fuel to keep their fleets in the sky.

Germany's Lufthansa group alone burns through 11 million liters of fuel each year - the equivalent of 1,000 full tanker trucks per day.

Given those fuel amounts, it's no surprise that the air-travel industry suffers from a negative environmental image. Still, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the industry is only responsible for 2 percent of humans' global greenhouse gas emissions.

With oil prices rising and European emissions trading slated to begin in 2012, airlines will be faced with new expenses. Not only will they have to pay for the fuel the industry consumes, they'll also need to acquire certificates for each ton of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere. 

IATA estimates 16 billion passengers
will fly each year by 2050
Fuel costs account for 30 percent of airlines' expenses - part of the reason why the industry is searching for an alternative source of fuel.

Biofuel for jet engines

This month Lufthansa is starting a half-year of test of biofuel on domestic flights.

While biofuel has been tested successfully with jet engines before, the technology will now be put into practice. Individual test flights have taken place since 2008.

The modified Airbus A321 will fly between Hamburg and Frankfurt four times a day for half a year.

One of the plane's two engines will be fueled with kerosene, while the other will be fueled with a mixture of kerosene and biofuel.

Lufthansa plans to measure the CO2 emissions generated by the flights and examine the new fuel's effect on maintenance and engine lifespan.

Manfred Aigner, director of the Institute for Combustion Technology at the German Aerospace Center, says he's optimistic about the tests. Members of his institute will be studying the jet's engines during flight and at night when the plane is idled.

"Lufthansa consulted us when choosing a biofuel and mixing it," Aigner told Deutsche Welle. "In a soundproofed hall we run the engines as if the plane were flying. Then at regular intervals we measure the ways in which the engines change during use."

Aigner says the research has convinced him of one thing: Biofuel is more efficient than kerosene and emits less greenhouse gas when burned. Depending on how the biomass used to make the fuel is produced, results could range between 50 and 80 percent less CO2 emissions, Aigner estimates.

Scientists will study the Lufthansa
plane's engines throughout the test
Lufthansa hopes it will save about 1,500 tons of CO2 emissions during the six month test.

Food or fuel?

Palm oil, rapeseed and animal fats form the basis of the fuel used in Lufthansa's biofuel test.

The airline demanded from its suppliers that its biofuels carry certification that their production neither damages rainforests nor moors, nor impacts food production.

According to Aigner, that sustainability requirement made it difficult to secure enough biofuel in advance of the test.

He added that biofuel is still difficult to acquire as a commodity. Airlines seeking to use the fuel are sure to find themselves competing with demand from automobiles and electricity providers.

"The question becomes: 'Who gets the biofuel first, and who gets what percentage of it?'" Aigner said.

While electricity providers can turn to the wind or the sun to gain energy, and automobiles can be propelled using hydrogen, airlines have limited other sources of fuel.

Kerosene for jet engines can only be replaced by liquefied coal, liquefied gas or biofuel.

Electricity isn't an option for air travel, as batteries are too weak and heavy to supply the energy needed for flight.

However, power generated by wind turbines could be used to produce methane gas, which could be liquefied and used for flight. The method would require careful attention to make sure little efficiency is lost in production, according to Aigner.

Environmentalists alarmed

While biofuels undoubtedly burn more cleanly than fossil fuels, not everyone agrees they're good for the environment or humans. Environmental organizations say they're not sold on the sustainability of even certified biofuels. 

Massive Jatropha cultivation may
 cause problems for humans and nature
Reinhard Behrend, of Rainforest Rescue in Hamburg, says that with a global population of nearly seven billion humans, spare land for agricultural energy production simply isn't available.

"Production of enormous amounts of agricultural energy will be at the expense of humans - primarily in the tropics - and the natural environment," he told Deutsche Welle.

And Behrend is also critical of Lufthansa's plan to increase use of the oil-rich Jatropha plant for its biofuel.

While the airline contends that Jatropha can be planted in soil otherwise unfit for agriculture, Behrend says that's not the point.

"All investigations - by the German development service GIZ, for instance - have shown that if soil is poor, the plant doesn't produce enough oil to be economical," he said.

According to Greenpeace, Jatropha production would eventually suppress food supplies.

Author: Insa Wrede (gps)
Editor: Nathan Witkop
Related Article:


Monday, July 11, 2011

World’s Cheapest Car to Be Made in Indonesia: Report

Jakarta Globe, July 11, 2011

Netherlands Ambassador to India Bob Hiensch posing at the wheel of
a Tata Nano in New Delhi in 2010. The world’s cheapest car is likely to
 be manufactured in Indonesia, a report said on Monday. (AFP Photo)

Related articles

The world’s cheapest car, the Nano produced by Indian carmaker Tata Motors, is likely to be manufactured in Indonesia, a report said on Monday.

The Bangkok Post reported that Indonesia had appeared to win out over Thailand as the production base for the vehicle.

The newspaper, quoting an unnamed source, said that as Indonesia had “offered more attractive incentives, Tata decided to shelve the expansion plan in Thailand.”

Reasons included Thailand’s lack of political stability and automobile tax structures.

The Post reported that Tata was hoping to produce 50,000 Nanos a year at a plant in Jakarta from 2013.

“It plans to export the cars to Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines as it is banking on their large populations and big demand for low-cost cars.”